Theo is pliable and eager to find a place in her arms, and rather than let him pass out against the cinder block, she sweeps him against her, his face back in its spot against the curve of her neck and his arms curled around her. She holds him tightly because that’s how he’s holding her, as if he won’t make it another second without her keeping all his broken pieces together.
Her hand wanders down his spine, following all the dips in each trembling vertebra before climbing back up again, stroking a soft and soothing path. “Just breathe with me. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”
She’s mumbling nothing but nonsense words. Pointless, really. Definitely useless. But it seems to help in whatever way it can, so she keeps talking, offering up consolation and comfort where it could never hope to flourish or grow.
“I have to tell you something,” he mumbles.
“Shhh, don’t talk.”
“I didn’t cheat on her. She left me because I don’t have enough money anymore. I gave my inheritance away to farm goats,” he huffs out a pained laugh like this is all suddenly the funniest thing he’s ever experienced, and then it turns into a scream that rattles her soul before tapering off into a series of pleas. “Please believe me. Please, please believe—”
All at once, he goes limp. The medication found its way into his bloodstream and offered solace where she couldn’t. His hold on her loosens, and his body is a heavy weight in her arms. She exhales hard, having to shove her tears in again, wishing for that same relief to flood her nerves like it has for him.
She can’t rest, though. Not yet. Carefully, she lowers him to the floor on his back before grabbing a thin pillow off the cotto sneak under his head while two fingers find his pulse eagerly thumping against his skin.
At her side, she pulls out the Narcan she pilfered from the drugstore. Just in case. And she waits.
* * *
Nora isn’t sure how long she’s been growing roots on this floor. Her legs and ass are already numb. She could leave him and wait elsewhere, maybe do something useful like gather all their minuscule supplies and try to make a meal. He would never know she’s gone, and he seems stable, but nothing could tear her away from this spot until she hears his voice again.
When Theo starts to breathe heavier, his lashes flutter as his head rolls. Consciousness brings him back to the land of the living, and she leans forward in anticipation.
“Hey, you’re safe. You’re at the sheriff’s station in Barrow. I’m here with you, don’t be afraid.” She slips her hand into his palm and tries not to let her heart break all over again when his first reaction is to squeeze it tight. How many times has this happened, and he suffered alone?
“Nora? You didn’t leave.” He squints, running his free hand across his face. “Why am I on the floor?”
The implication that she could have left and never returned bothers her for a moment. It’s a ridiculous nitpick. She can’t blame him for his semi-lucid ramblings, but things feel different now. She held him in her arms while he cried and spent half a day on this floor making sure he didn’t overdose. She kinda wants to know that he trusts her after all that.
“You were having an…attack. A migraine. I gave you fentanyl. You’ve been sleeping it off for a while now.”
His brows raise almost comically. “Okay. That’ll do it.”
“I know it’s not what you’re used to. Not meant for that kind of pain, but I figured passing out was better than a handful of ibuprofen. How are you feeling? Can you walk?”
“Tired as fuck, but otherwise fine. Better than usual.” He sits up with a wince, palming his head only to brush the bandaid she fixed at his temple, where he was intent on breaking it open.
“Come on, lemme help you into bed.”
The smirk on his lips is as instant as the flirt on his tongue. “Gonna snuggle up with me, too?”
She frowns, her anger bubbling up fast. “Don’t do that. You have no idea how scared I was.”
“Sorry. I um, I dunno how to feel right now. I didn’t want you to see me like that. It hasn’t gotten that bad in a really long time.” His tone goes soft, all that false confidence making way for concern as his thumb brushes her cheek in a tentative touch. “And I do know how scared you were. Enough to cry for me. Don’t do that.”
She’s spent a considerable amount of time on the floor while he was passed out. Sobbing was her hobby of choice for most of it. Which is something she never does anymore. Not ever. But the reality of the situation hit her hard, and there was no hope of keeping it in. There must still be a few dried tracks on her cheeks to give her away.
“Let’s get you to bed,” she chokes out again, shrugging away from his touch before it burns.
He wobbles a little when he stands, but makes it upright on his own before landing on the mattress with a thunk.
“Fuck,” he groans sadly, perhaps for no particular reason other than to say it.
She busies herself removing his shoes before opening the buckle on his pants, and that’s when he flinches, making a little noise of disagreement in the back of his throat
“I just want you to be comfortable, that’s all.” She pulls the belt out of its loops and drops it to the floor. “Do you need anything?”
“Don’t go.”
